A chronicle of Issues, Studies, News and other items of interest regarding Mormonism (2006-2013)

Sunday, September 09, 2007

"Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith" - Sources Used

From the appendix "Sources Used in This Book"---There are a variety of sources from which the teachings of the ProphetJoseph Smith are drawn, including the History of the Church. Thefollowing material is provided to help you understand these sources.

Sources of the Prophet's Teachings

The teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith included in this book aredrawn from the following types of sources.

Sermons. This book quotes extensively from the discourses given by theProphet Joseph Smith. The way in which these sermons were recorded isvery different from the way sermons were recorded for later Presidentsof the Church. Church Presidents who came after Joseph Smith usedscribes to record in shorthand their addresses to Church members. Whenelectronic recording devices, such as tape recorders and motionpicture film, became available, these were used to record the precisewords delivered by Church leaders.

During the lifetime of Joseph Smith, however, shorthand was not inwidespread use. Therefore, the sermons he delivered were recordedimprecisely in longhand, generally by scribes, Church leaders, andother Church members. Almost all of Joseph Smith's addresses weregiven extemporaneously, without prepared texts, so the notes taken bythose who listened to him constitute the only record of thediscourses. While some lengthy reports of his addresses exist, mostare summarizations of the messages delivered by the Prophet.Unfortunately, there is no record for many of the discourses given byJoseph Smith. Of the more than 250 sermons he is known to havedelivered, reports or notes taken by scribes or others cover onlyabout 50 of the sermons given.

Articles. Some of the Prophet's teachings in this book are drawn fromarticles that Joseph Smith designed for publication in Churchperiodicals, including the Evening and Morning Star, Latter DaySaints' Messenger and Advocate, Elders' Journal, and Times andSeasons.1 Joseph Smith wrote or dictated some material forpublication. Also, he frequently directed a scribe, another member ofthe First Presidency, or another trusted individual to write anarticle regarding specific matters he wished addressed. The Prophetwould then endorse the text, having approved it as representing histhinking, and publish it under his name. For example, this book quotesfrom several editorials published in the Times and Seasons in 1842.During an eight-month period of that year, from February to October,Joseph Smith served as the editor of this periodical and frequentlypublished articles signed "Ed." Though others helped to write many ofthese articles, the Prophet approved them and published them in hisname.

Letters. This book quotes from many letters written or dictated byJoseph Smith. This book also quotes from letters approved and signedby Joseph Smith that were partially or completely prepared by othersunder his direction.

Journals. The Prophet's journals are a rich source of his teachings.Though his journals are extensive, he actually wrote in them himselfinfrequently. Instead, he directed that his journals be kept byscribes, under his supervision, allowing him to focus on the pressingresponsibilities of his calling. Just prior to his martyrdom hestated, "For the last three years I have a record of all my acts andproceedings, for I have kept several good, faithful, and efficientclerks in constant employ: they have accompanied me everywhere, andcarefully kept my history, and they have written down what I havedone, where I have been, and what I have said."2 The Prophet's scribesrecorded journal entries in third person and in first person, as ifJoseph Smith himself were writing.

Remembrances of others. This book quotes from the recollections ofthose who heard the Prophet speak and later recorded his words intheir journals and other writings. After the Prophet's death, Churchleaders and historians made great efforts to collect and preserve suchwritings and to record previously unwritten recollections about theProphet. Such sources have been used only when the person actuallyheard the words that he or she recorded.

Scriptures. This book quotes from Joseph Smith's teachings andwritings that were later canonized as scripture in the Doctrine andCovenants and Pearl of Great Price. Such canonized writings includeinstructions he gave on doctrinal subjects, visions he recorded, andletters and other documents he wrote. This book quotes from thesecanonized teachings and writings when they provide insight intodoctrines presented in this book.

History of the Church

Many of the Prophet Joseph Smith's sermons and writings included inthis book are quoted from the History of The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints, which is referred to in this book as the History ofthe Church.3 The first six volumes of the History of the Churchpresent the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsfrom its beginnings until the death of Joseph Smith. This historyprimarily describes events and experiences connected with the life andministry of Joseph Smith. It is one of the most important sources ofhistorical information about the Prophet's life and teachings andabout the development of the early Church.

Joseph Smith began preparing the history that ultimately became theHistory of the Church in the spring of 1838 to counter false reportsbeing published in newspapers and elsewhere. The completion of hishistory was a subject of great concern to him. In 1843 he said, "Thereare but few subjects that I have felt a greater anxiety about than myhistory, which has been a very difficult task."4

The History of the Church is based on the Prophet's recollections,journals, and other personal records. It presents a daily narrative ofthe Prophet's activities and significant events in Church history. Italso includes reports of the Prophet's discourses, copies ofrevelations he received, articles from Church periodicals, minutes ofconferences, and other documents.

Joseph Smith remained involved in preparing and reviewing his historyuntil his death. However, he directed that most of the work be done byothers, under his supervision. Reasons for this include his lifelongpreference for speaking or dictating his thoughts, rather than writingthem down, and the constant demands of his ministry. The Prophet'shistory for July 5, 1839, records, "I was dictating history, I saydictating, for I seldom use the pen myself."5

By June 1844 the history was written through August 5, 1838. InCarthage Jail, shortly before he died, the Prophet charged ElderWillard Richards, his chief scribe at that time, to continue the planof compiling the history.6 Elder Richards and other men who had beenclose to the Prophet continued the history as directed until ElderRichards's death in 1854. Then the work of compiling the history wasdone or directed primarily by Elder George A. Smith, a cousin andclose friend of the Prophet, who was ordained an Apostle in 1839 andbecame Church Historian in 1854. Many others who worked in the ChurchHistorian's Office also assisted with the compilation.

One important task of the compilers of the History of the Church wasediting and preparing original documents for inclusion in the history.Their work involved making light editorial revisions to almost alloriginal documents included in the History of the Church. Thecompilers corrected misspelled words and standardized punctuation,capitalization, and grammar. Additionally, in some cases, thecompilers of the history made other changes to original documents.These changes can be divided into three categories:

1. Combining accounts. Many of Joseph Smith's discourses were recordedby more than one observer. In some instances, the compilers of theHistory of the Church combined two or more accounts of the samediscourse into a single version.

2. Changing accounts from third person to first person. Many accountsof the Prophet's teachings and activities were recorded in thirdperson. These accounts were written primarily by his scribes, but someaccounts were taken from the writings of others who knew the Prophetand from newspaper articles. As the compilers of the History of theChurch worked, they wrote the history in the first person, as if theProphet were writing. This required that some third-person accounts bechanged into first-person accounts.

3. Adding or changing words or phrases. Many of the original notestaken of the Prophet's sermons are brief, incomplete, anddisconnected. In some of these instances, Church historiansreconstructed the Prophet's sermons based on the available records,drawing also upon their memories and experiences with the Prophet.This work sometimes involved adding or changing words or phrases tofill in gaps and clarify meaning.

All of the compiling and writing of the History of the Church was doneunder apostolic supervision and review. The history was read tomembers of the First Presidency, including President Brigham Young,and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, some of whom had beenintimately acquainted with the Prophet and had heard the originaladdresses. These leaders approved the manuscript for publication asthe history of the Church for the period of time it covers.

In August 1856 the history was completed through the time of JosephSmith's death. The history was published in serial form in Churchperiodicals in the 19th century as the "History of Joseph Smith."7Later, the history was edited by Elder B. H. Roberts, a member of thePresidency of the Seventy, and was published between 1902 and 1912 insix volumes. It was titled History of The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints.

The men who compiled the history attested to the accuracy of the work.Elder George A. Smith said: "The greatest care has been taken toconvey the ideas in the Prophet's style as near as possible; and in nocase has the sentiment been varied that I know of, as I heard the mostof his discourses myself, was on the most intimate terms with him,have retained a most vivid recollection of his teachings, and was wellacquainted with his principles and motives."8

Elder George A. Smith and Elder Wilford Woodruff declared: "TheHistory of Joseph Smith is now before the world, and we are satisfiedthat a history more correct in its details than this, was neverpublished. To have it strictly correct, the greatest possible painshave been taken by the historians and clerks engaged in the work. Theywere eye and ear witnesses of nearly all the transactions recorded inthis history, most of which were reported as they transpired, and,where they were not personally present, they have had access to thosewho were. Moreover, since the death of the Prophet Joseph, the Historyhas been carefully revised under the strict inspection of PresidentBrigham Young, and approved of by him.

"We, therefore, hereby bear our testimony to all the world, unto whomthese words shall come, that the History of Joseph Smith is true, andis one of the most authentic histories ever written."9

In this book, the Prophet Joseph Smith's discourses and writings arequoted from the History of the Church unless the original discourse orwriting was not included in it. When this book quotes from the Historyof the Church, the endnotes include information about the originaldiscourse or writing, including the names of those who recorded theProphet's sermons. The endnotes also indicate when the compilers ofthe History of the Church drew upon their memories and experienceswith Joseph Smith to change words or add words or phrases to theoriginal report. Such additions or changes are noted only when theyaffect the meaning of the quotation. Minor editing changes are notnoted.

The book titled Joseph Smith--History, as recorded in the Pearl ofGreat Price, is an excerpt from the first five chapters of the firstvolume of the History of the Church.

Notes

1. The Evening and Morning Star was published in Independence,Missouri, from 1832 to 1833, and in Kirtland, Ohio, from 1833 to 1834.The Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate was published inKirtland from 1834 to 1837. The Elders' Journal was published inKirtland in 1837, and in Far West, Missouri, in 1838. The Times andSeasons was published in Nauvoo, Illinois, from 1839 to 1846.

2. History of the Church, 6:409; from a discourse given by JosephSmith on May 26, 1844, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by ThomasBullock.

3. The History of the Church has been referred to as the DocumentaryHistory of the Church.

4. History of the Church, 6:66; from "History of the Church"(manuscript), book E-1, p. 1768, Church Archives, The Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah.

5. History of the Church, 4:1; from "History of the Church"(manuscript), book C-1, p. 963, Church Archives.

7. The "History of Joseph Smith" was published in the Times andSeasons from Mar. 15, 1842, to Feb. 15, 1846. It was continued in theDeseret News from Nov. 15, 1851, to Jan. 20, 1858. It was reprinted inthe Millennial Star from June 1842 to May 1845; and from Apr. 15,1852, to May 2, 1863.